The present invention comprises a new and distinct cultivar of lily hybrid, referred to commercially as a longiflorum-Asiatic Lily Hybrid, referred to by the cultivar name `Ceb Dream`.
This invention is the product of a controlled breeding program in Aurora, Oreg. The seed parent was a proprietary non-released unnamed Ace.times.Gold Nugget seedling. The pollen parent was PAM #2, another proprietary non-released plant.
The longiflorum-Asiatic cross is relatively new to the trade. This type of cross was originally made to create colored Lilium longiflorum hybrids. Instead, due to the difficulty in crossing back to L. longiflorum, the plants that were developed had to be crossed with Asiatic lilies. As such, the results look more like Asiatic lilies. The resulting hybrids often have several advantages, not necessarily in combination, over an Asiatic lily: (1) often larger flowers; (2) often larger, waxier leaves; (3) hybrid vigor; (4) lower susceptibility to scorch; (5) excellent flower texture and substance; (6) more virus resistance; (7) new and clearer colors; and (8) stronger, sturdier stems.
This invention has not been observed under all possible environmental conditions. The phenotype may vary significantly with variations in environment such as temperature, light intensity, and day length, without, however, any variation in genotype. The following traits have been repeatedly observed in asexually propagated progeny and are determined to be the basic characteristics of this invention which in combination distinguish this lily as a new and distinct cultivar: (1) large, upright flowers of a soft pink color and no spots; (2) high bud count; (3) lovely, light yellow buds; (4) contrasting dark brown anthers; (5) excellent vase life; (6) early bloom time; and (7) uniform, vigorous stems. Bulbs of this plant may be precooled and forced out of season for very uniform cut flower production.
To the inventor's knowledge, there are no other longiflorum-Asiatic lily hybrids with this color flower suitable for cut flower forcing on the market.
Asexual reproduction of this new variety has been initially and subsequently accomplished at Cebeco Lilies, Inc. in Aurora, Oreg., by scaling and tissue culture. The resulting plants have shown that the above-mentioned unique features are stable and reproduce true to type in each successive propagation.